REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Ethics Training Consultancy

The UNICEF Zimbabwe Country Office is seeking proposals from qualified consultancy firm (s) to deliver five sessions of one day Ethics training workshops to UNICEF Zimbabwe staff.

Duration: 2 Months.

Background

In 2014, UNICEF Zimbabwe participated in an organizational Global Staff Survey (GSS) exercise whose overall outcome was positive. In response to the GSS findings, the Zimbabwe Country Office (ZCO) team developed an action plan to address areas requiring attention to enhance employee engagement practices within UNICEF Zimbabwe. The agreed GSS action plan activities included the need to deliver face to face Ethics training workshops (incorporating the Whistle Blower Policy) to all staff (138) to enhance staff awareness of ethical behavioral standards that they should know and apply consistent with the United Nations (UN) Charter. In this regard, a management decision has since been made to engage institutional consultancy services to provide support in delivering the planned Ethics training workshops, given the urgency to close this learning gap and GSS action point and considering that the ZCO was unable to secure an in-house Ethics training facilitator.

UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017 states that the fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does. In order to accomplish this mission, UNICEF needs staff who are competent, efficient and live the values of the UN in their interactions with all the stakeholders hence the need to promote ethics dialogues and training workshops within the organisation.

Meanwhile, the ZCO team successfully completed the mandatory online UNICEF Ethics and Integrity course to complement the impending face to face Ethics training workshops.

The face to face Ethics training programme is a modular course. Currently, there are four modules which are updated from time to time namely:

 3. Justification

This institutional consultancy assignment is being sought to roll out Ethics training workshops (incorporating the Whistle Blower Policy) for UNICEF Zimbabwe staff over a period of five days to i) to enhance staff awareness about the ethical behavioural standards expected of them as international civil servants and the obligations placed upon them by the Charter of the United Nations, the UN Staff Regulations and Rules, and other administrative issuances; ii)to equip them with the knowledge to make ethical decisions more confidently and iii) to close the pending GSS action point thereof.

 4. Objective/s

The overall objective of this institutional consultancy is to impart the CO team with knowledge on ethical behaviors and standards that are expected of UNICEF staff in order to make ethical decisions and choices more confidently in the course of delivering their work and in life situations, consistent with the UN Charter.

5. Methodology & Expected Outputs

In consultation with the ZCO team, particularly the Human Resources (HR) Manager and the UNICEF Ethics Office’s Principal Advisor, the training facilitator/s will plan to deliver five on site learning sessions of one day face to face Ethics training workshops (incorporating the Whistle Blower Policy) to UNICEF Zimbabwe staff over a period of one week. Information on the organizational Ethics training programme and reference materials will be sourced from the UNICEF’s online Ethics learning portal and/or from the Ethic Office hence the need for the training facilitator/s to familiarize with the same in preparation of the training workshops as scheduled.

The training facilitator/s will conduct pre and post training evaluations in line with UNICEF’s learning and development standards, as part of the overall Ethics training workshop delivery. The institutional consultancy contract will be for an overall period of 2 months to allow off site pre and post workshop activities thereof while the actual on-site face to face training workshop delivery will be for a period of one week thus from 22 to 27 May 2017 respectively.

The expected outputs of this institutional consultancy are as follows:

1. Reaching an agreement with UNICEF Zimbabwe’s HR Manager on the Ethics training workshop programme to be delivered to all staff.
2. To deliver five sessions of one day face to face Ethics training workshops (incorporating the Whistle Blower Policy) to UNICEF Zimbabwe staff.
3. Submit a comprehensive Ethics training report to the HR Manager incorporating key outcomes of the one day training workshops (five sessions) and recommendations on the modifications required for the workshop, materials etc.

Additionally, training facilitator/s should take note of the kinds of concerns and questions that arise during face to face Ethics training workshop sessions and include the same in the training report to inform future related trainings.

6. Major Tasks and Deliverables

Major Tasks:

1) a) Establish the profile of training participants to understand the Ethics training workshop target audience.

b) Develop and finalize the Ethics training programme (one day x five training sessions which will be  conducted) in consultation with the ZCO HR Manager, ZCO’s Ethics Dialogue Facilitators  and UNICEF’s Ethics Office Principal Advisor.

Deliverables:

 a) List of agreed training participants is confirmed to the HR Manager via email.

 b) Training Programme (incorporating the Whistle Blower Policy) is shared with all training participants via email.

Timeframe: by 20 April 2017.

Major Tasks:

2) a) Provide the CO team with the list of training workshop requirements including sitting arrangements, materials etc.) to facilitate advance workshop preparations by the ZCO.

  b) Development of tools for pre and post Ethics training workshop evaluations.

Deliverables:

 a) List of training requirements shared with the HR Manager.

 b) Pre and post workshop evaluation tools are shared with the HR Manager.

Timeframe: by 20 April 2017.

Major Tasks:

3) Administer the pre training workshop evaluation tool to participants and present summary feedback at the commencement of the Ethics training workshop.

Deliverables:

a). Pre training workshop feedback is presented to training participants during the workshop.

Timeframes: Varies: 22-26 May 2017.

Major Tasks:

4) a) Deliver five sessions of one day Ethics training (incorporate the Whistle Blower Policy) workshops to the ZCO team based on the agreed Ethics training programme.

b) Conduct post training workshop evaluations at the end of each training workshop.

Deliverables:

 a) Five Ethics training workshops are delivered.

  b) Post training workshop evaluation tool is administered.

Timeframe: Varies: 22-26 May 2017.

Major Tasks:

5) At the end of the Ethics training workshop, compile and share the Ethics training report incorporating feedback from pre and post workshop evaluations and recommendations thereof e.g. on modifications required for future Ethics trainings, workshop materials etc.

Deliverables:

a). Ethics training workshop report submitted to the HR Manager consideration and onward sharing with all participants.

Timeframes: By 31 May 2017

All deliverables should meet expected quality and standards as assessed by the supervisor of the assignment. Should the consultant fail to deliver as per expected quality and standards, UNICEF reserves the right to amend the payouts accordingly, or to delay them until satisfactory submission has been received.

 7. Timeframe

The institutional consultancy assignment is expected to commence on 1 April 2017 and ending on 31 May 2017 to allow for the necessary off site workshop preparations and reporting thereafter. The actual onsite Ethics training workshop delivery dates are 22 to 26 May 2017.

 8. Consultancy Fees

A competitive selection process will be followed guided by the terms of reference herein. Interested Institutions are required to submit all-inclusive technical and financial proposals to undertake this assignment, including profiles of consultant/s that will undertake this intervention.

9. Evaluation Criteria

After the opening of the RFP, Technical Proposals will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary evaluation team composed of UNICEF staff. The technical evaluation will be restricted to the contents of the Technical Proposal and supporting documents submitted.

Evaluation of the Technical Proposal will be completed prior to evaluation of the Financial Proposal.  The Proposals must contain complete documentation and information required for UNICEF to comprehensively evaluate each Proposal in accordance with the Evaluation Assessment Criteria contained in Table below:

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

1. OVERALL RESPONSE

• Understanding of UNICEF’s needs and responsiveness to the requirements.
• Understanding of scope, objectives and completeness of response.

  –  Overall concord between RFP requirements and proposal.

  (Points – 5)

2. STRATEGY, METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

• Quality of proposed approach/ methodology.
• Quality of proposed implementation plan, i.e. how the bidder will undertake each task and maintenance of project schedules.

  –  Recognition of direct risks/peripheral issues and methods to prevent and manage

    risks/peripheral issues.

  (Points 20)

3. PROPOSED TEAM AND PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION

• Structure of Management Team.
• Team leader: relevant experience, qualifications and position with bidder.
• Team members: relevant experience of similar scope and complexity qualifications.
• Professional expertise and knowledge.
• Quality of local partner(s) included as sub-contractor(s), if applicable.

  (Points 20)

4. Evidence-supported TECHNICAL CAPACITY and ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Range and depth of experience with similar projects, contracts and clients.
• Financial status of Institution.
• Evidence of similar assignments undertaken in the region, Africa and elsewhere.

  NOTE:  Institutions that fail to submit relevant documentation that will enable a thorough review of the Institution in all relevant areas, do so at their own risk and will be subject to disqualification or penalty of reduced points.  The assessment of the Institution will be made on the basis of documents submitted for review in the Proposal.

  (Points 15)

5. Financial Proposal

1. Assessment/review will include:

• Overall Price.
• Cost benefit comparison related to number and quality of personnel in the Proposal who will conduct the spot check or verifications (financial assessments).
• Completeness of the Financial Proposal (ensure that all costs, including professional fees, costs of travel, salaries, insurance, etc. are included in the price offered).
• Payment terms/schedule of payment proposed.
• Timeline proposed.
• Period of validity of Proposal.

  NOTE: As the most financially attractive offers will be at an advantage, if the Institution can offer any discounts or options, they should be clearly marked in the financial proposal to facilitate the comparison.

  (Points 40)

Technical Proposal (s) scoring 60 % (=Score of 45) or more following Proposal Evaluation will be listed and included for review of Analysis and Evaluation on The Financial Offer

The Technical Proposal has a total possible evaluation value of 60 points. Technical Proposals receiving 45 points or higher, will be considered technically compliant to be prequalified to carry out verifications. Technical proposals that score 45 points or higher will have their financial proposals evaluated. Proposals which are not considered to be technically compliant and non-responsive will not be given further consideration.

The total number of points allocated for the Financial Proposal is 40. The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened and compared among those invited firms/institutions which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price; e.g.:

                                                     40 * Price of lowest priced proposal

  Score for “Price proposal X” =  —————————————————

                                                     “Price of proposal X”.

Total Technical and Price: 100 Points

The most-favored Proposal will be selected on the basis of the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) to UNICEF in terms of both Technical and Financial Scores (best overall value). All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes as UNICEF is a tax-exempt organization. Institutions are requested to align their proposed payment schedule and payment terms as per detailed on no. 6 of this terms of reference and in accordance with the work assignment and deliverables herein. All payment schedules and terms must be in line with global UNICEF policies and procedures.

In addition to the Technical and Financial Evaluation, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct an independent, administrative validation exercise to ensure that potential institutions meet the minimum legal, financial and structural suitability requirements. Institutions that do not meet such requirements could be disqualified.

All references to descriptive material and brochures should be included in the appropriate response paragraph, though the material/documents themselves may be provided as annexes to the Proposal.

The proposer must also provide sufficient information in the Proposal to address each area of the Evaluation Assessment Criteria in Table above to allow the evaluation team to make a fair assessment of the individual/company and their capacity to execute the services offered in the Proposal.

Information, which the proposer considers proprietary, should be clearly marked “proprietary”, if any, next to the relevant part of the text, and UNICEF will treat such information accordingly.

Responses deemed not meet all of the mandatory requirements will be considered non-compliant and rejected at this stage without further consideration. Failure to comply with any of terms and conditions contained in the RFP, including provision of all required information may result in a response or proposal being disqualified from further consideration.

  10. Expected background and Experience

Interested Institutions/firms should meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Should be a legal entity or consortium of legal entities with necessary skills, knowledge and innovative capacity in construction of structures.
• Should have demonstrated or verifiable experience of working in similar projects in Africa.
• Core team members should be fluent in English.

 Consultant/s or training facilitators’ profiles from interested Institutions should possess the following qualifications and experience:

•  Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, HR/Training Management or a relevant field;
• A minimum of 10 year experience and expertise with developing complex training modules;
• Proven knowledge and skills in instruction and instructional design as applied to adult learning;
• Strong facilitation and training skills;
• Knowledge and experience in delivering the UNICEF Ethics training programmes/ workshops;
• Knowledge of the UN Code of Conduct, UNICEF rules, regulations and directives;
• Strong analytical, planning, communication and writing as well as networking skills;
• Good English Language skills.

 11. Payment Terms

 Payments for successfully completed deliverables shall be made based on an accompanying invoice and guided by the payment schedule below:

• Deliverables 1-3 = 30%
• Deliverables 4-5 = 70%

 12.  Supervision and Reporting

Consulting Institution will report to the Human Resource Manager, UNICEF Zimbabwe, with day-to-day interaction with the other members of the UNICEF Team and other relevant stakeholders.

The work must be documented with:

• Interim deliverables to be presented in printed and/or electronic copy, as per requirement.
• At the end of the consultancy, the consultant/facilitator should submit an archive on electronic copy of all documentation processed.

 13.  General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

•  The consulting Institution will be expected to provide their transport, office space and other equipment as required for their work.
• All travel will be arranged by the consulting Institution and will be by most economical fare.
• The consulting Institution selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for institutional contracts.
• The logistical cost involved in preparing the proposal is at the consulting Institution’s expense.
• The consulting Institution shall be responsible for the professional and technical competence of its employees and will select, for work under the contract, reliable individuals who will perform effectively in the implementation of the contract, respect to local customs and conform to a high standard of moral and ethical conduct.
• If the consulting Institution fails to deliver any or all of the deliverables within the time period specified in the contract, or fails to perform any of the terms, conditions or obligations of the contract, or should the consulting Institution be adjudged bankrupt, or be liquidated or become insolvent, or should the contractor make an assignment for the benefits of its creditors, or should a receiver be appointed on account of the insolvency of the Institution, UNICEF, may without prejudice to any other right or remedy it may have under the terms of these conditions, terminate the contract , forthwith, in whole or in part upon thirty(30) days’ notice to the consulting Institution.

14.  Policy both parties should be aware of:

• All remuneration must be within the contract agreement.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consulting Institution.
• No member of the consulting Institution may travel prior to contract signature.
• Members of the consulting Institution will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.

Response requirements: At this stage, UNICEF is requesting Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested institutions. Institutions should submit detailed and complete institutional profile information, together with a written “Expression of Interest” by either email or mail no later than 12:00 noon Harare local time on Monday, 13 March 2017. EOI should contain the following reference: “Institutional contractor Ethics Training Consultancy”.

Emailed responses should be addressed to omhungu@unicef.org.

Mailed responses can be sent to:

The Supply Section

UNICEF Harare Office

Fairbridge Avenue

P.O. Box 1250

Belgravia, Harare, Zimbabwe

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.